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An important news item by in the Salt Lake Tribune reports on Utah State Sen. Karen Mayne’s attempt to stop publication of voter information. The reporter should have covered both sides of the issue, because the proposed legislation removes a crucial transparency component for Utah elections. The article, titled “Bill aims to stop publication of voter information”,1 reports that: –…

[Last updated: 02/15/14] Are you wondering how electronic voting systems fit together? What an error message means when you see it on a voting machine? How voter lists work? How vulnerable the system used in your location is? Black Box Voting has been collecting hard-to-obtain details for 10 years. If you have obtained information, you may contribute it either anonymously…

Next major election: Tuesday Aug. 19 Primary election RISK RATINGS Integrity Index: Rated 49th out of 50 states by the Better Government Association, with 50 the lowest rating.1 Election Risk Analysis: Significant, rated 5 out of 10, with 10 being highest risk.2 Special areas of concern: Wyoming is one of three states which acts as a corporate secrecy haven, rivaling…

[Updated 12/18/13] Internet voting can’t work alongside secrecy of the ballot. But online voting for legislators — because their ballot should never be secret from the public — would at least be transparent. In the US, a resolution was introduced in June 2013 (H.Res.287) for a measure that would let members vote remotely on noncontroversial bills. According to reporter Bryan…

[12/16/13] – In the current Virginia recount, voting machine chain of custody deserves a closer look. A handful of men control chain of custody for crucial portions of the recount process, which in Virginia is conducted entirely by re-running the ballots through voting computers, with votes counted out of public view. Oh yes, observers may be able to watch activity,…

[UPDATED 12/15/13] – Electronic voting machines have come under scrutiny in two Indian states for alleged irregularities. Officials for a historically dominant political party, the Congress Party,1 have filed a complaint with the Election Commission calling for an independent forensic evaluation of voting machine programming. The state president of another political party has called for a ban on electronic voting…

LAST UPDATED [12/15/13] – Next elections will be Parliamentary elections scheduled for Spring 2014. It will be the first election under the new Hungarian Constitution. RATINGS – Freedom: Rated 1 on a scale of 1-6, with 1 being most free. Overall civil liberties and political freedoms trended downward in 2010, due to passage of a controversial new constitution, with continuing…

LAST UPDATED [12/15/13] – The next general election in the US is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 4 2014. Throughout 2014 leading up to the general election, primary elections will be held in each state, with considerable variation in dates. Greatest risk areas: Centralization of vote reporting and voting machine programming, with over 99 percent of all votes counted out of…

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Black Box Voting, founded in 2003, performs nonpartisan investigative reporting and public education for elections.

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You may be wondering what the term "black box" means. A "black box" system is non-transparent; its functions are hidden from the public. Elections, of course, should not be black box systems.

Influential reporting by Black Box Voting is referenced worldwide. Here is a link to a free copy of the book, Black Box Voting: HERE. Author Bev Harris became known for groundbreaking work on electronic voting machines, which can remove transparency of the vote count; other important reporting pertains to voter lists, election chain of custody, transparency problems with absentee voting, election industry corporate governance, and financial accountability in elections.

Opaque, non-transparent voting can afflict voter lists, poll lists,vote counting and chain of custody; political finance can also be "black box." The road to better transparency begins with knowledge and public, grassroots dedication. I am glad you are here!